Why Are We Doing This?
by HiddenSea
Summary: The Aphrodite cabin throws a New Year's party. This should go well. Silena/Beckendorf, Tratie, Percabeth. One-shot.


**Hey! Ok so it's late, but only by like 16 days! :D But certain people's school got in the way *coughcoughStarrySeacoughcough* so sorry! But better late than never, right? So without further distractions, your New Years oneshot! *confetti, sparkles***

**~HiddenSea**

* * *

><p>Percy rolled his eyes and picked up the sparkly gold and black card that was perched on his bedside table. It was in big curly calligraphy at the top that looked like spaghetti. The rest of it was in a small neat handwriting, an invitation to a New Year's Eve party sleepover in Cabin 10. It was "camp wide", which basically meant that it wasn't. He dropped it back onto the table. Just then there was a knock at the door and Annabeth ran in.<p>

"Hey Seaweed Brain!" she held up her card. "Are you going?"

"To something put on by cabin 10? Ha, no way."

"Come on, it'll be fun! And Silena and Beckendorf are going, so are Clarisse and Chris! Please?" She did the big-pleading-grey eyes thing.

"Fine." he sighed.

"I'll go tell Silena!" she turned toward the door.

"You've know about this haven't you?"

"Maybe, but probably not..." she smiled and headed back out the door.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Percy groaned.

* * *

><p>At the same time, Silena was having a similar conversation with Charles Beckendorf in the desolate Hephaestus cabin.<p>

"Charlie, please? I helped plan it. We worked hard! Percy will be there! And Chris and Travis! You like them!"

"I'm sorry, but why would I want to spend my New Year's Eve with your cabin and their significant others when I could spend it with just you?" he asked.

After some consideration, Silena answered. "It's not just my siblings, it's camp-wide!"

Beckendorf raised his eyebrows until Silena finally answered. "Ok, so it isn't. It's mostly all camp, though! Please, Charlie?"

She took his hand and his willpower broke. "Fine!"

She grinned. "Yay! I've wanted to do this for so long!"

Just then, Annabeth came running up. "Silena! Percy and I are coming!"

"Yay! You guys are so cute!"

Annabeth blushed. "Silena!"

"Sorry. Gods, I'm so excited!"

Annabeth smiled. "See you then."

"Ok!" Silena replied and went back to her cabin. "Attention everyone!"

* * *

><p>The Aphrodite cabin spent the rest of the day decorating their cabin. It was completely perfect by dinner. After the campfire, everyone who was invited went into Cabin 10. Silena was behind everyone else and walked in holding Beckendorf's hand. When they walked in, he stopped. The place was decked out in pink and gold streamers, confetti, and massive "Happy New Year!" banner was displayed on the wall. Music was playing and everyone was already getting into the spirit. Then Travis stepped away from Katie and unplugged the CD player. Everyone glared at him, clearly annoyed.<p>

"People! I say we start the new year off right with... a pillow fight!"

"Stoll, this is an Aphrodite thing. Shut up." someone said.

"So, all in favour?" he asked, his eyes glinted mischievously. Surprisingly, (to everyone who wasn't Travis) all the guys raised their hands and grabbed pillows as the girls scattered. Throughout the pillow fight, there were wails of "My hair!" and the downright vicious, "Seaweed Brain, Silena spent two hours on my hair and outfit, if you ruin them and she wants to redo it, I _will_ kill you!" Soon, though, the boys were bored and everyone collapsed, breathing heavily.

Silena ran a hand through her tousled hair. Charlie collapsed next to her. "Hey."She smiled somehow a wrecked hairdo wasn't so bad. "Charlie, why did you vote for that?" he laughed and swatted at her with a stray pillow. She rolled her eyes and threw the pillow onto a bunk. Travis had a bag full of "illegal" sodas and snacks that everyone was getting into. Annabeth pulled out her cell phone. "45 minutes to midnight." "So until then?" Clarisse smirked. "Ghost stories." she suggested sarcastically. Everyone subconsciously shivered. "I'll go first." Clarisse announced and started in a chilling voice.

"When the samurai warrior Kane first came to California from Tokyo, be brought his new wife, the beautiful Ishi. She was an ideal wife: gentle, attentive, and a wonderful cook. Kane was the envy of his new neighbors. But he was a proud man. When a wealthy family moved into the neighborhood, Kane cast his eye upon their lovely daughter, Aiko, and desired her. In his mind Ishi was second best. So Kane plotted to rid himself of his wife so he could woo and win the fair Aiko.

"On a stormy night on the way home from a great banquet, Kane pushed Ishi over the cliff and into the bay. No one heard her scream though the howling wind. No one suspected foul play when Kane came rushing back to the banquet hall, shouting for help because his poor wife had slipped and fallen over the cliff. Kane acted the part of the bereaved husband to perfection. He gave Ishi a splendid funeral. It wasn't until he was alone in his house that Kane relaxed and drank to his success.

"Outside, the wind whipped against the house, making the walls rattle and shake. A stray breeze swept through the sleeping-room with a whisper: _Vengeance. Vengeance. _Kane sat up and blinked as a dark figure stepped into the room. It's long, tangled black hair hung over the dirty, bloodstained kimono. Its face was crushed and broken, with one eyeball hanging from the socket. The ghost of Ishi reached out a broken hand toward her husband, smiling through the shattered remains of her teeth. _Vengeance._ she whispered. _Vengeance. _Kane screamed in terror, leapt out of the window, and ran to a neighbor's house. Mistaking his fear for grief the neighbors took him in and insisted he stay with them during the first weeks of his bereavement.

"A month passed as Kane waited for Ishi's ghost to reappear, but she'd vanished. Relieved, Kane decided it was safe to bring Aiko and her family to see his home. As he escorted Aiko's parents around the garden, he felt a hand on his arm. Kane turned around and found himself facing a beautiful Ishi, who kissed him and whispered in his ear: _Vengeance. _Laughing, Ishi danced away, waving to Aiko and her parents as she passed. Aiko glared after her in jealous rage. Fearing that Aiko might end the betrothal, Kane pressed forward with his suit, arranging for a grand engagement feast to prove his devotion. Friends, neighbors, and family came to the banquet hall to laugh and toast over food and wine. Kane was very please with his success. But when he looked across the hall, he saw the ghost of beautiful young Ishi walk into the room and stand demurely in the corner. He paused mid-sentence and stared in horror as she laughed and began to change.

"Her body twisted and broke before Kane's eyes, her face collapsing inward and bleeding, her black hair tangling, her eyeball popping out of its socket. _Vengeance._ she whispered.

""No! No!" Kane shouted. Around him, Akio, her parents, and the guests stared. None of them could see the ghost. As Ishi drifted out of the door Kane followed, vowing she would haunt him no more. The ghost drifted along the cliff path with Kane running after her, shouting and cursing. Suddenly, the ghost stopped at the place where Kane had pushed her. She turned to face Kane and started to grow, her crushed body bloody and dirty, her eyeball swaying, her shattered teething gleaming in the moonlight.

_Vengeance!_ she screamed and lunged at Kane. The samurai stepped backward, face contorting in fear. His foot slipped suddenly on the loose earth, and he plunged backward over the edge of the cliff, his body fatally smashing into the rocks far below.

"That same night a terrible storm beat against Kane's house. Lightning hit the roof and the house burned to the ground. Neighbors claimed they could hear a voice in the wind saying one word, over and over: _Vengeance._ "

Silena shivered. "Why did we do this, again?" she asked Beckendorf.

"Clarisse," he said, as warning.

The daughter of Ares rolled her eyes. "Chickens."

"That seriously freaked me out!" Silena protested.

_Vengence_!" Connor hissed.

"Oh, shut up!" Beckendorf hugged his girlfriend.

"Five minutes to midnight!" Annabeth announced.

"You know it's tradition to kiss at midnight," one of the Aphrodite girls said, bumping shoulders with her boyfriend. A couple of guys raised their eyebrows.

"Why?" asked Travis.

"Really, Stoll." Katie said. "It's hard to believe, with your bevy of girlfriends, that you've never heard of the tradition."

"And, did you know," Anabeth spoke up, "that it actually started when,"

"No one cares!" a few people cut her off, earning a glare from both Percy and Annabeth. Suddenly, they heard something from outside. "5,4,3,"

"2, 1!" everyone screamed. Silena smiled and took Beckendorf's hand. Everything had erupted into chaos. She and Beckendorf walked out of the cabin and soon they were walking along the beach. The moon was full and cast it's silvery light on the shore. Silena sunk her bare feet into the cold sand. It was picture perfect, the waves lapping at the shore, the far off noises from the woods. They turned to face each other and the rest of the world seemed to fade away into the back when she met his eyes. There was a very familiar spark.

He looked down at her, wondering how he got so lucky.

"I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too, angel." he replied, smiling. She grinned at his nickname for her. They kissed, and it was the best beginning to the year either of them could have ever wished for.

* * *

><p><strong>Taa-Daa! You like? :D<strong>


End file.
